I Drunkenly Paid For 17 Federal Programs

In the next few weeks, you’re likely to see the Trump administration propose dramatic budget cuts to the federal government that will seek to privatize the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts: completely… as well as 15 other programs.

The Nerdwriter is created and run by Evan Puschak and easily one of my favorite YouTube creators. I haven’t been watching him for very long (as in, as soon as the weekly videos come out like I do now) but I’ve watched his work casually over the past few years. Recently, what turned me onto his videos was an incredible in-depth analysis of Anthony Hopkins in WestWorld. My background in film kicked in and Evan’s detailed approach to subtle editing and effects to enhance the video, brought me in to listen to his perfectly smooth and eloquent dissection of Hopkins’ performance. I may or may not have went back and watched a few (read: many) hours worth of his previous content.

This week’s video struck a chord, not because we’ve all gone drunk shopping and with complete randomness (I have), but because of all the programs Trump is looking to cut. The arts are some of the most precious elements of humanity and they have the ability to transcend all social divisions.

Neil deGrasse Tyson has famously stated time and again that the fact the US cannot afford to budget for NASA was entirely due to the fact that “… we have chosen not to afford it. The bailout of the banks exceeded the 50 year budget of NASA. With a 3.5 trillion dollar budget (circa 2011), you can do whatever you want – whatever you judge to be important to the profile of the nation that you are trying to build and to sustain. The NASA budget is 4/10ths of a penny on a US tax dollar … I will not accept a statement that we cannot afford it.”

Cutting the arts and services that bring joy, education, protection, and jobs to countless Americans while planning to build a wall promoting segregation and racism? And, we’re only at 19 days into this Presidency. 🙄